New England Patriots Training Camp Observations, 8/8

Today's practice, a 10:00 a.m. walk-through at Gillette Stadium, was the second joint practice between the Patriots and the Saints as the two teams gear up for a preseason showdown on Thursday night.

After a Tuesday afternoon practice in full pads, the teams were in shells for Wednesday's walk-through. There was 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work as well as kickoff drills.

Here are some of the key observations.

Tom Brady played with a purpose. He went 8-for-8 in the opening 7-on-7 drills, and followed that up by going 9-for-10 in 11-on-11 work. A few touchdown passes for Brady, no picks.

Brady hooked up with Aaron Hernandez on a long ball on Tuesday and built a good rhythm on Wednesday. I counted four connections in the first 11-on-11 work, including a touchdown catch.

Sergio Brown is getting more reps on special teams than he is in the defense. His roster spot is in jeopardy.

The secondary struggled yesterday, and after early signs of continued struggles, Bill Belichick had already seen enough. He was attached to that group today and was seen coaching up safety Tavon Wilson, who continues to see time with the top unit on defense.

Drew Brees had his way with the Patriots secondary in 11-on-11 work—9-for-10 by my count. Some touchdowns for Brees, no picks.

Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower got beat by Jimmy Graham, again, who celebrated, again, and drew a flag, unlike yesterday when he dunked on the goalpost.

Also, the Patriots handed out a paper copy of their depth chart during the practice. It's not yet listed on the website.

Preseason depth charts are always to be taken lightly. Some teams use them to sort out where their roster stands, others use them to give certain players a chance to show what they can do and others use them as a smokescreen.